


Small Talk

by panda_desu



Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 04:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10404399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_desu/pseuds/panda_desu
Summary: "Thanks. But this is just myth, you know." he pointed to the bat."I know. It's still cute, though."





	

The only customer he had for the evening finally left the joint.  
  
"Thank you for your patronage," Jin Dong says when the customer was about to open the door and he got a polite nod as an answer. After cleaning the table, he walked toward the door, too. The street in front of his coffee shop was quite deserted. It had been a very slow day and looking at how things went so far, it wouldn't get better. Jin Dong sighed and wondered if he should just close the shop and went home. It would be nice to have an early night once in a while. He was about to turn the sign hanging on the door when suddenly a voice came from his side.  
  
"Are you already closed?"  
  
Jin Dong quickly turned around. A young man was standing just a few feet away from him. He was a very handsome young man with thick eyebrows and fine jawline. His skin was so white it was almost pale. Instinctively, Jin Dong took pity of him. He must've been starving or in very dire need of energy boost. "No. Of course not. Please, come in."  
  
The young man's eyes suddenly turned bright and he followed Jin Dong inside. Jin Dong returned to his station behind the counter. "What would you like to have?" he asked, putting on his best business smile.  
  
"Coffee. Your strongest one. Three--no, make it four shots."  
  
Jin Dong raised his eyebrows. "Anything else? Maybe something to eat?" He gestured to the display case beside the counter, which showcased a couple of sandwiches and cakes. The young man only took a glance and shook his head. Jin Dong nods and punched some keys on the register. "That would be 15 yuan."   
  
The young man fished in to his pocket and produced a leather wallet. He handed out the bills to Jin Dong.  
  
"Thank you. Please, have a sit. I will bring your coffee to you." Jin Dong said again, still smiling.  
  
The young man turned to take a look at the shop's interior for a moment then sauntered to a table for two at one corner. Jin Dong made the order while stealing glances toward his customer. His coffee shop had been open for ten years and most of his customers were locals so Jin Dong more or less knew people's faces. The young man didn't look like he was from around there. Jin Dong could tell from the way he brought himself or simply from the way he kept discreetly looking around. Jin Dong released a soft sigh as he shook his head in amusement.  
  
It had started raining when Jin Dong served the coffee to the young man, along with a plate of turkey sandwich. "Thank you," the young man muttered but then eyeing the sandwich in confusion.  
  
"It's compliment from the house. You look like you need it." Jin Dong smiled.  
  
The young man nodded and thanked him again. Jin Dong watched in amusement as the young man devoured half of his coffee in one gulp. He put down the cup and released a long contented sigh. The coloration on his pale face changed slightly. Now, he looked more...energized. Jin Dong couldn't help it. He pulled the chair in front of the young man and invited himself to sit. "So. Are you made or born?"  
  
The young man looked startled but in seconds his eyes gleamed dangerously. Guardedly, he locked his eyes with Jin Dong. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean." His deep voice sounded distant.  
  
Jin Dong raised both of his hands. "I'm sorry if I offended you but I've been watching you so I think I could just ask the blunt question."  
  
The young man was still looking at him as if considering what he would do to Jin Dong. Jin Dong kept his smile. "I'm sure it wasn't easy for you. How long it's been since the last time you sworn off blood?"  
  
This time, the young man looked even more startled. He stood up abruptly. "Who are you?"  
  
Jin Dong casually leaned back against the back of the rattan chair. "My name is Jin Dong. I own this coffee shop."  
  
The young man's eyes squinted, alert. "If you can guess I have sworn off blood, then you must know the danger of giving your full name to some---thing like me."  
  
Again, Jin Dong smiled at him. He nodded. "I also know that those who have sworn off blood also sworn not to hurt human. Please, sit down. Do you need more coffee?"  
  
Slowly, the young man lowered himself to sit. He was looking at Jin Dong with confusion, disbelieve, worry, and curiosity. He took his cup and sipped his coffee. "Your coffee is good."  
  
"Thank you so much." Jin Dong nodded politely. "Won't you answer any of my questions?"  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
Jin Dong waved his hand in random direction. "Well, as you can tell, this is going to be a long night, what's with the rain. And you're new around here, obviously. Like I said, I own this place and I happened to know people. So if you want to settle down here, I will gladly give you some advice."  
  
"Why?" The young man's thick eyebrows knitted together.  
  
"I like helping people." is Jin Dong's casual reply. "That is why I managed to run this business for so long. Aside from the fact that I make good coffee."  
  
To his surprise, the young man laughed. It was a very nice laugh. Spontaneous and deep like it came out from his diaphragm. His eyes were all scrunched up cutely. Jin Dong could also see a flash of rather prominent canine teeth. The young man took another sip of his coffee before studying Jin Dong once again. "Then, make yourself a cup of coffee, too. As you said, I am new here and this will be a long night."  
  
When Jin Dong rejoined the young man a couple of minutes later, he noticed that the sandwich was still left untouched. "You can't eat?"  
  
The young man regarded the sandwich for a second before taking a piece. Jin Dong chuckled. He crossed one leg on top of another, taking a sip of his own coffee. "So--"  
  
"First of all, aren't you afraid of me? Or did your curiosity win over your fear?"  
  
"Let's be real, in this days, with so many of you blending in, won't it be too weird to be afraid?" Jin Dong answered diplomatically.  
  
The young man raised one of his eyebrows. "Sure."  
  
Jin Dong shrugged, giving yet another smile to the young man. He opened his palms and showed it to the young man. "Look, my hands are dry and no sweat trickling down my spine either. You are my guest here. Unless you want to steal from me, you are not a threat for me."  
  
The young man seemed to accept this reasoning. He leaned toward the table, folding his hands. "I'm called Kaikai. I was made," he started.  
  
"How old were you?"  
  
"35. I'm now 183 years old, if you wondered." Kaikai added to Jin Dong's grin. "And I've sworn off blood for more than...twenty years, I think. I can't really remember. It wasn't a hard decision for me. I always hated drinking human blood, anyway."  
  
Jin Dong raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
"It was too much so I tried my best not to make it as a habit." He said, a little bit bashfully. "I don't know why, I just...don't really like the sensation."  
  
"So, how do you---"  
  
"Animal blood, mostly." He didn't give Jin Dong any chance to finish his question. "I went to farms, usually--"  
  
Jin Dong's eyes widened. "Wait, wait." He raised a hand to stop the young man. "I've heard about this on the news. Farmers found some of their stocks dead but they were all cleanly cut and butchered. The proprietor also left some money. That was you?"  
  
Kaikai blushed and nodded bashfully. "I couldn't possibly just take anything I wanted, right? Those stocks and cattle were precious! And basically anything that have been bitten by my kind was not good anymore. So I paid for them."  
  
Jin Dong shook his head in awe. "A thoughtful vampire. Who would've thought?"  
  
"Is that a mockery?" Kaikai frowned.  
  
"Not at all." Jin Dong went bold and patted Kaikai's hand. "I find it very admirable. And now you resolved to coffee." He continued, turning his attention to the half full cup of coffee in front of Kaikai.  
  
Kaikai nodded. "I always like coffee and it's very easy to find so drawing back is never an issue for me." He related.  
  
"I see." Jin Dong nodded. "That is a very wise decision. I've heard about those who chose more impractical way to substitute their cravings." He watched silently as Kaikai took another piece of the sandwich. He knew vampires could eat although they just did it for show but this one seemed to be able to enjoy what he ate, judging from the way his expression changed as he chewed on the sandwich. Jin Dong turned his cup in his hands. "What do you do for a living, if I may ask?"  
  
"You've been asking me all these questions, anyway." Kaikai coughed in to his fist. The way he looked at Jin Dong before he answered was a strange one, like a challenge. "I'm a hunter."  
  
Jin Dong blinked. "You're what?"  
  
Kaikai nodded, still looking at the mild bewilderment in Jin Dong's face. "I helped someone once and after that... Well, people come to me. I take the job. Not any job, mind you. I only hunt the bad ones. I do background checks and everything. I'm very good at what I do."  
  
"No. I'm sure." Jin Dong raised his hand as if to tell Kaikai that he was convinced. "You would know better than any hunter out there. But...why?"  
  
Kaikai shrugged. "It's hard for me to keep one particular job. I cannot stay around too long, you know. People come and go. It would be too weird if I was the only one who stayed around. I almost survived two generations of employer once. That was before the next generation thought it was too hard to explain me to new employees. More like, to the new stakeholders."  
  
"Really? That's too bad."   
  
Kaikai shrugged again. He traced the rim of his cup with the tip of his long finger. Jin Dong noticed he had really slim and long fingers. "Not really. It was just too troublesome to keep changing job and place. Being a hunter is easier. I can stay anonymous and they don't have to see my face. Not many questions asked." He shifted in his seat. "Do I scare you now?"  
  
Jin Dong looked at him for a moment then shook his head. "Not at all. I guess I'm not your prey. No pun intended."  
  
Kaikai laughed. "True." He looked down at his cup. "May I have more coffee, please?"  
  
"Of course." Jin Dong put down his cup and took Kaikai's empty one. "Would you like the same one?"  
  
"Anything will do. No milk, please. I'm lactose intolerant."  
  
"I do serve soy milk, too."  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
This time Jin Dong served him a latte macchiato with something that looked like a bat drawn on the foam. Kaikai looked please. "Thanks. But this is just myth, you know." he pointed to the bat.  
  
"I know. It's still cute, though." Jin Dong placed another serving of sandwiches. Enough for both of them this time. He then sauntered off to the door to turn the sign to 'Closed'. He was sure Kaikai was his last customer for the day, anyway. The rain wouldn't let up soon. When he sat down in front of Kaikai again, Kaikai was frowning at him. "What?" Jin Dong asked, taking his cup.  
  
"You seemed to know a lot about my kind." Kaikai commented in deep concern. "You said you know people but I think not just any people."  
  
"You must've thought I'm too curious for my own good."  
  
Kaikai snorted. "Yes. But it seems that you know what you're doing."  
  
Jin Dong looked down as he scratched the back of his ear and laughed somewhat bashfully. He lifted his gaze and cringed. "Yeah, I..." he took a deep breath. "Well, where's the harm, right? I've been asking you questions, anyway." He shifted his gaze away for a moment before looking straight at his guest. "I used to be a hunter."  
  
Jin Dong didn't blame Kaikai when the first reaction he got was Kaikai instinctively pushing away his chair and was ready to flee or to defend himself or to attack. However, it seemed that many things were clicking inside his head in a split second. He calmed down and sat down again. "I'm sorry." He muttered.   
  
Jin Dong waved his hand dimissively. "No need."  
  
"Used to be....So..." Kaikai muttered under his breath. He raised his gaze to Jin Dong again. "Why did you stop?"  
  
"It was too dangerous and 've got enough money to open this shop." This time Jin Dong waved to entire interior of his coffee shop.   
  
"I see." Kaikai was still curious. "How did you make them stop finding you?"  
  
This time, Jin Dong's smile was so wide and proud. "They didn't know my real name."  
  
Kaikai blinked. "Yet...you gave me yours." his voice trailed off. "You know the danger perfectly well! Why did you do that?" He looked confused, which to Jin Dong's eyes looked very cute.  
  
Jin Dong ran a hand across his hair. Thinking for away to explain without sounding like he was trying to woo this young vampire. "Your eyes." He said.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
Jin Dong pointed. "I've met many people. And vampires, too, come to that." Kaikai frowned at him. Jin Dong continued, "Look, you didn't even try to charm me to open the shop just for you, so I can tell you're a good one. Aside from the fact that you've sworn off blood."  
  
It was impossible for a vampire to blush but Kaikai actually did. No crimson color appeared, just a different shade of pale white. It was very fascinating to see. Jin Dong chuckled and offered him to eat the sandwich. Kaikai cleared his throat. "So, you're using your real name now? For everyone to know?"  
  
"It may be weird for you but it's safer for me." Jin Dong took a bite of the sandwich and wiped the bread crumbs from his fingers. He shrugged. "I've lived peacefully for almost more than ten years now."   
  
Kaikai looked at him with what Jin Dong guessed as envy. He propped his chin on his palm and looked through the glass window across the room. "Good for you."  
  
Jin Dong studied him for a long moment. He actually didn't like to pry but this particular person just picked his interest since he saw him standing at the door. Maybe it was because it had been a very long time since the last time he encountered a vampire face to face. "Say," he called out carefully, "would you like to try another job?"  
  
Slowly, Kaikai's eyeballs shifted toward him before he turned his head. "I have told you---"  
  
"Yes. Here me out first, please." Jin Dong interrupted. "I have a spare room upstairs and I definitely wouldn't find it weird to hire you. As waiter first, of course. I'll train you along the way before you can touch any of the machine."  
  
Kaikai looked at him. "Work here?"  
  
"I cannot pay you much, let's be honest. This is just a small coffee shop. But you don't have to pay rent and you have access to coffee practically 24/7."  
  
Kaikai squinted his eyes. "Do I look that pitiful to you?"  
  
"What? No. Of course not!" Jin Dong immediately straightened up. "I've been thinking of hiring someone to help me. I haven't put up any notice because I can't offer much. I offered it to you because, well, who knows? Maybe you came to this town to settle down and planned to just wait and see. If you can avoid hunting, then maybe you'd stay on."  
  
Kaikai was silent for a moment although he never looked away from Jin Dong. "You're a weird guy." he commented.  
  
Jin Dong smiled wide, didn't seem like he was offended at all. "Yes. Sometimes people told me that."  
  
"Wouldn't you afraid people would avoid coming to this place if I work here?" Kaikai tried to reason.  
  
Jin Dong scratched his chin. "Well, then let's say it's my bad luck."  
  
"Please do be serious." Kaikai gave him a look.  
  
With the same amount of confident as when he told Kaikai about his real name, Jin Dong nodded. "I'm not a fool. I always know what I'm doing, Kaikai."  
  
"I see." Kaikai smiled after a long moment of silent and studying Jin Dong. "Thank you. I'll think about it."  
  
"Please do." Jin Dong returned the smile.   
  
"But you wouldn't mind me coming here every time, I hope?"  
  
"As long as you bring me business, I wouldn't say no."   
  
Kaikai chuckled.  
  
They talked more and long in to the night until finally the rain let up. Kaikai was the first to notice. They had finished two more cups of coffee (only one more for Jin Dong) and almost half of the food in the display case. Jin Dong didn't mind. It was better than letting them went to waste. Kaikai gulped down the rest of his coffee and pulled out his wallet. Jin Dong stopped him from leaving the money on the table. "It's on the house."  
  
"But you said--"  
  
"Think of it as service to keep you coming as a my regular." Jin Dong winked. He pushed Kaikai's hand away so he put the money back. "Don't worry. Next ones won't be free."  
  
Kaikai's laughed heartily. He then stood up and offered his hand to Jin Dong. Jin Dong was about to shake that hand when Kaikai grabbed his hand and turned his palm up. Jin Dong looked at him, confused. Kaikai used his index finger to scribbled something on Jin Dong's palm. Jin Dong stared at his palm then looked up. "What a beautiful name." He praised honestly.  
  
Kaikai smiled wide and bid him goodbye. "See you around, Dong- _ge_. Thank you for the coffee."  
  
He watched as Kaikai's figure disappeared in front of his shop. He looked down to his palm again and balled it in to fist. " _-ge_." Jin Dong snorted. "Are you mocking me?"  
  
***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that :D


End file.
